JESSICA LYN
Painting and Digital Illustrations - My Freedom of Expression
Portrait courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
Bachelor of Architecture graduate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Jessica Lyn is a Chinese-American architectural designer from Princeton, New Jersey. She holds a bachelor of architecture degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is planning on going to graduate school this fall and is currently waiting decisions. Jessica sees architecture as a platform to connect aesthetic form with engineering which allows her to engender her practice with utility and beauty while seeking to impact society and the environment for generations to come. Aiming to provide equal learning opportunities to everyone, Jessica works as an instructor at Architecture is Free Foundation. She is interested in guiding students and expanding their repertoire of insights and skills while reflectively broadening her perspective on architecture. During her spare time, Jessica enjoys acrylic and digital painting to communicate with her inner self. She also loves being in the nature and strolling through the woods. You might find her traveling all over the world as she explores the lands and diverse human culture.
Inspiration
What inspired you to pursue painting and digital illustrations? How did you get into it?
I was a very naughty child who could not sit still. My parents always questioned my gender as a typical girl, and they had tried different activities to make me settle. One day they realized that a simple pack of crayons and paper can make me sit and be quiet for hours. That is how I started drawing. However, it was not until I moved to the United States for high school that I had the opportunity to officially learn acrylic painting. Since then, painting has become the best way to communicate with myself. It helps me to escape from the materialistic world into a world of my own which I can create anything I like. I can have my own rule. Or there are not even rules. Painting is also my form of meditation. I like the feeling of “not in control”. There are moments I let my emotions guide my hand to paint. When I get into this state, I become the "medium". While my emotions and senses make the decisions about what to do in the art, I am just following them to emerge and develop. It is a very magical feeling.
Jessica Lyn, Freedom and Hope. Image courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
Jessica Lyn, Three Dimensions. Image courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
Time Management
How did you manage to maintain your time - especially as a student studying architecture?
A lot of people say architecture is a hard field, but I believe architecture is a passionate field. It is time-consuming because I enjoy the constant exploring and reassessing. I always have a hard time accepting a drawing to be the “final” version since there is always something that I can implement or change to my design. Deadline is almost the only thing that can put my work to an official stop.
I use One Note as my online agenda to keep on track of deadlines and plan ahead. When things get overwhelming, I will tell myself to focus on the simple tasks that can be done immediately, then, break down each big task into multiple small tasks. For example, if I have three renderings due in two days, I will break them into “finalizing 3d modeling”, “lighting setup”, and “post-production”, etc. I will not scar myself by thinking I need to have two renderings done in two days but instead, I will ask myself to finalize the 3d model in four hours. Thinking short batches of achievable tasks rather than vague, difficult to achieve tasks help me stay focused and avoid being procrastinated.
Influence
Most of your artwork centers around figurative painting and self portraits - what do you try to convey with your artwork? Are you inspired by current social or political issues?
How a painting is different from a photo is that a painting can not only depict the time but also convey certain feelings. In my painting set “the Relationship Between Nature & Us”(see images 1,2 and 3), I depicted the fragile relationships between nature and human beings. Humans are an integral part of nature, and we share more than half of our genetic information with other living beings on the planet. These paintings address issues such as destroying ecological systems and call for contemplating and re-evaluating our connection to nature.
As we embark on a post-pandemic world, we are reminded of humanity's fragility and are called to highlight and repair the delicacy of human and nature relationships. It is more important than ever for us to create innovative design solutions that are socially impactful and environmentally conscious.
Traditional Painting Setup. Image courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
Jessica Lyn, Self Portrait Step by Step. Image courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
Jessica Lyn, All I need to Paint Digitally. Image courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
Resources
Can you show us a quick visual guide to one of your illustrations?
I use a free painting software called Autodesk Sketchbook. I usually start with a quick sketch, and then fill the sketch with large color blocks. The final step is being patient and painting the details. It might sound easy but it is actually hard to do. I recommend anyone who wants to try digital art start with practicing fundamentals on traditional medium. The practicing process may be dry but it will eventually help you a lot! I also want to say don’t stress about the style. Style develops over time and it will change over time. Just enjoy the process and eventually you will find the style that you are comfortable with.
Want to #Paint? Follow These Steps!
What are the bases to start acrylic painting and digital art? How do you get inspired? What tools do you use to paint on both mediums? Brushes? Specific Digital Application (E.g. Procreate)?
My sources of inspiration are constantly changing as I am growing up. Before high school, my sources of inspiration were manga and anime shows. After I started acrylic painting, I began to visit museums quite often. My sources of inspiration have quickly become impressionist paintings. My favorite impressionist is Pierre Renoir and Claude Monet. Both of their paintings are touchingly warm and the subtle softness is lacking in art today.
I was convinced that I wanted to stay with traditional art because I felt very comfortable using brushes. But my curiosity forced me to try something new -- digital art. It was hard to switch media at the beginning. Not being able to feel the surface of the textured paper is very frustrating. But I soon enjoyed the benefit of painting digitally. (see attachment image 6 and 7)
For digital painting, you need:
A graphic Tablets, a digital painting software, and a computer.
For traditional painting, you need:
Canvas, Brush set, easel, paper towel, bucket, desk, palette.
Digital painting not only saves money and space but also allows me to work faster and more creatively with thousands of downloadable digital tools online.
(Just want to add more, the following is not related to the prompt) Practicing visual arts has become a source of inspiration in architecture study. Architecture as a composition of visual forms and functions in a physical space is similar to 2D designs. Inspired by fine art aesthetics and graphic design elements, I designed a lot of architectural projects which stimulate the imagination and communication with people who enter the space through a type of visual language. The color and light theories that I learned from acrylic paintings are also applied to my architectural drawings.
Jessica Lyn, Lego Playground. Image courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
Jessica Lyn, Mountain Shelter Elevation. Image courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
8’ Tall Physical Model. Image courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
In terms of rising concerns and problems (in the architectural profession) over the past year, what is one change that you wish would happen and it did not?
As a student of architecture, I hate our obsession with All-Nighter, who lie awake fearing for futures if not working 24/7, and the pace of our education programs that give us little time to stop and think.
Strolling in the Woods. Image courtesy of Jessica Lyn.
